


The other direction

by ImaginaRose



Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst, Baby Mutants, Big Mutant Family, Brotherhood of Mutants, Canon Disabled Character, Controlling Charles, Dark Charles, Disability, Dubious Morality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Family Dynamics, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Manipulation, Manipulative Charles Xavier, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Multi, Mutant Rights, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Team as Family, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, X-Men: First Class (2011), dadneto, happy evil family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 12:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19228840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaginaRose/pseuds/ImaginaRose
Summary: The smoke in the distance was clearing in the wind as the blue-eyed man looked at the woman who turned against them.“I’m sorry.” he whispered. And so, the first casualty of the war fell onto the sand.





	The other direction

Charles Xavier always had everything he could want. Even before his powers manifested, his parents – and later stepfather – were more than happy to give him anything money could buy. As long as he stayed out of their way, he had everything he needed and wanted.

He was always perceptive to what other people wanted. He was the perfect little boy, always doing, what the adults wanted him to.

Then, the voices came. First, they were quiet and easy to ignore. Then, they got loud. He stayed home for a week with horrible migraines. His mother and stepfather were gone somewhere, so he was left alone with the servants.

He clearly remembered the first time he managed to control it. A maid was bringing him soup for lunch. She laid it on the table next to his bed and when he looked up to thank her, he clearly heard her voice saying _poor boy_. But she didn’t speak. He thanked her and focused on her as she left the room. He could clearly hear things he was sure she would never say in front of him. And that was when it clicked – he could read her mind.

By the time he met Raven, he got really good at controlling his powers. But he never thought there were others. For years, she was the only one who knew about his powers, just like he was the only one who knew about hers.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t using them, of course. A look here, a nudge in the right direction there and he had everything – even what his money couldn’t get.

Charles Xavier always had everything he could want. He just wished his sister could have the same.

***

“You know, why I like playing this with you but not cards?”

“Because you think I’m looking into your cards.”

“Exactly.” she smirked. “Play already.”

He reached for the dice and for a second, he saw a flash of a memory he was sure wasn’t his own.

“Charles, play…” Raven sighed.

“I’m sorry… I just…” he shook his head, trying to clear the image out of his mind. “Sorry.”

“What happened?”

“I think I accidentally looked into your memory. You’re projecting it really strongly… I’m sorry.” he muttered. “We should get back to the game.”

“What did you see?” she asked. She radiated fear and sadness. She always had, he realized, he just blocked it out.

“It was just a glimpse… man and a woman… they looked afraid.” It was a strange dilemma. He wanted to know more and yet, he didn’t want to hurt her by breaking his promise or bringing up those memories. He could tell it was painful for her already.

She turned away.

“And here I was hoping I forgot it completely.” she sighed. “I guess it’s not something you just forget.”

“The memory… it’s hurting you.” he pointed out. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

She stood up and headed t the living room. He followed.

“Did you ever wonder, how a ten-year-old girl came to rob your kitchen in the middle of the night? Why I had to?”

“I must admit, I never did.”

“It’s been ten years, today. Ten years since… this happened.” She looked at her scaly blue hand. “I guess that’s why I remembered it.”

He could see tears in her eyes.

“Maybe it would be easier, if I just looked.” he suggested. She sat down on the couch.

“I won’t stop thinking about it anyway.” she said, looking up at him. He sat down next to her. “And I guess you deserve to know. Just… make it quick, please.”

He gently touched her temple, focusing his mind onto the memory.

_She woke up early. Through the dark corridors, she snuck close to the kitchen._

_“How do we hide her, if we move?” her mother asked. “It’s too much of a risk? What if someone saw her?”_

_“We’ll just leave in the dark, throw some old hoodie on her. Nobody is going to notice.”_

_“And what if someone does. Just admit it. She’s a freak. We should have killed her a long time ago.”_

_“It’s our daughter.”_

_“It’s a demon.”_

A flash. Another memory.

_“What did I do?” she asked, crying, as her mother took her to the bathroom._

_“Nothing. You just need to get ready for the moving.” the mother said, smiling slightly._

Next thing.

_The mother tried to push her underwater. She coughed. Her whole body strained as she got bigger. She pushed her mother off and ran away, shrinking as she ran out of the front door._

He left her memories and saw her crying.

“Raven… I didn’t know… I’m so sorry.” he whispered and pulled her into an embrace. She was sobbing, holding onto him.

He ran fingers through her hair, carefully touching her mind, softening the pain.

“It’s okay, now.” he assured her. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’ll always be there for you, Raven.”

***

He breathed heavily as the pain disappeared. He cursed Erik silently. He understood his pain, his need for revenge – he saw, what Shaw had done to him. But… it wasn’t a nice feeling to go through it.

He walked into the sun and saw Shaw’s body levitating out of the broken-down submarine. Then, Erik followed.

“Take off your blindfolds, brother and sisters. The real enemy is out there.”

He wore Shaw’s helmet. He stepped closer to the water as he continued his speech. His message was clear. Humans were their enemies. Afraid, ready to destroy them.

And he was right.

He nodded at Moira. Hopefully, they would listen. Hopefully, they won’t have to defend themselves.

And then, he felt her distress and the determination of the terrified humans. He stepped closer to Erik.

“Do you think you can stop them, if they fire?”

“I sure hope so.” Erik nodded. “After that…” he nodded to the submarine, “… I think I can handle it.”

And they fired. The mutants stood frozen, watching their doom approach. Erik focused and reached out…

And the missiles stopped dead in their tracks, frozen in midair.

Slowly, the missiles turned around and they allowed themselves a sigh of relief.

“I don’t need to see into your head to know, what you’re thinking.” Charles looked at his friend. “The men on those ships aren’t to blame for this. They’re just following their orders.”

“I’ve been at the mercy of men just following orders.” Erik reminded him, as the missiles begun moving again – aimed back where they came from. “Never again.”

And he thought of Raven, whose own parents tried to kill her for being different. Of the ten-year-old girl, that he caught stealing in their kitchen, that became his sister.

He thought of Erik and the brief glimpses of the torture he endured under Shaw.

He thought of Alex, whose inability to control his powers landed him in prison.

He thought of Angel, who had to earn living as a stripper, because her family kicked her out.

He thought of Hank, whose mutation used to be so menial, and yet he feared it so much anyway.

And he didn’t have the will to stop Erik.

And then, a gunshot rang through the beach. Erik turned around, losing his focus. The missiles begun falling into the sea. Erik shoved the bullets out of the way with his powers. She couldn’t hurt him.

But the bullets still had the energy, when he deflected them. And, as if the universe had a perverse sense of humor, as last of the shots rang out and the explosions begun echoing from the distance, a scream cut through the beach.

Erik turned around to see Charles collapse into the sand.

He ran to him and dug the bullet out with his powers. He saw that Charles was in pain.

“Back off!” he shouted at the rest of their team, as they ran to them. “I’m so sorry, Charles.” Then, his eyes landed at Moira, who dropped her weapon and stared at them. “You… you did this!”

It was simple, really. The dog tags on her neck… so simple. They pulled back and took her breath.

Charles looked at her. He saw the fear in her eyes and even though his mind was clouded by pain, he felt her regrets.

“Erik… let her go.” he whispered. “Please.”

The other man looked at him for a second, before letting go. Moira hit the sand, gasping for breath.

“Why?”

“She didn’t mean to hurt me. It was an accident.” Charles replied between pained gasps.

The rest of the group ran to them.

“We need to get you to hospital.” Hank said with a slight smile. “Let’s find something we can put you on and…”

Hank and Erik tried to help Charles sit up. He yelped in pain.

“Okay, change of plans, don’t move.” Hank muttered and nodded at Havok and Banshee. “You two, there should be something in the jet to put him on. Go find it.”

“Hank… I don’t think I…” The pain and shock begun wearing off and it dawned on him. His heart rang in his ears, beating so loud he thought others had to hear it. No… no… it couldn’t be. “I can’t feel my legs.” He tried and he failed. Nothing. just numbness and emptiness. “I can’t feel my legs.”

Something foreign and so long suppressed woke up inside of him. Anger. The rage he felt, when he found out about Raven’s parents. The rage he learned early on could easily hurt those around him. Once.

He had control now. Anger was like fire in his veins, burning off the pain, burning off everything around him until the world shrunk into only him and her. Moira MacTaggert.

The smoke in the distance was clearing in the wind as the blue-eyed man looked at the woman who turned against them.

“I’m sorry.” he whispered. And so, the first casualty of the war fell onto the sand.


End file.
